Quarterback Max Wittek, left, huddles with the offense during USC's spring game. The former Mater Dei quarterback will be battling Cody Kessler and Max Browne for the starting job during preseason camp. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

This is a rather significant question to have unanswered less than four weeks before the start of the season. Matt Barkley is gone, and his successor will either be sophomore Max Wittek, sophomore Cody Kessler or freshman Max Browne. Coach Lane Kiffin has declared the competition to be open and equal, but that's probably being kind to Browne, who showed consistent improvement in spring as an early-enrollment freshman but probably needs a year of redshirt seasoning. The question then becomes, does Kiffin want the gunslinger or the game manager? Wittek started the final two games of 2012 after Barkley's shoulder injury. He has a strong arm but his decision-making skills need further development. Kessler can't sling the ball down the field as well, but also makes fewer mistakes. Given the weapons USC has at receiver, if Kiffin thinks the running game has sufficiently improved, he might feel comfortable with Kessler. If he thinks he needs more a playmaker at quarterback, it's Wittek.

2. Will the pass defense hold up?

There's understandable excitement at USC over new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast's "52" scheme. USC has a lot of versatile talent in the front seven, and in the spring Pendergast had them playing looser, faster and with more aggression. Then there are the cornerbacks, who inspire much less confidence. Pendergast's scheme should allow the Trojans to better pressure opposing quarterbacks, but it will also put the defensive backs in more single-coverage situations, and that's a scary proposition right now. Nickell Robey's decision to leave a year early and declare for the NFL Draft – he didn't get picked, and later signed with Buffalo as a free agent – and USC's decision to move Josh Shaw back to safety left the Trojans with zero reliable cornerbacks. Torin Harris is the most experienced of the group, but the coaching staff doesn't seem to have a lot of faith in him. Young corners such as sophomore Kevon Seymour and freshman Chris Hawkins might have to grow up fast.

3. Will Marqise Lee win the Heisman?

Probably not, but unless USC's quarterback situation turns into an unmitigated disaster, Lee should earn a ticket to New York City for the Heisman Trophy presentation. It can easily be argued that in the last quarter-century of USC football, Lee and Reggie Bush are the two most talented, natural athletes to wear cardinal and gold. Remember that Lee, a junior, played tailback in high school and, in some ways, is still learning the receiver position. He still has room to improve, particularly with footwork, route-running and consistency in terms of not dropping balls. He can, and will, learn those things. The things Lee can do naturally cannot be taught. He has a natural aggression in terms of catching the ball. He has extraordinary vision, which he uses to find soft spots in coverage after he catches the ball. He has Bush-like acceleration in the open field. Opponents will be fixated on trying to limit Lee's impact on games, but if USC can get the running game going, that will open up things for Lee.

4. Does USC still own Los Angeles?

A decade ago, Pete Carroll's Trojans romped, stomped and pillaged the country. Starting in 2002, USC won at least a share of seven consecutive conference championships, won two national titles and won six BCS bowl games. The party, it once seemed, would never end. It did. In part because of NCAA sanctions, the Trojans have lost 13 games in the last three years. They lost 13 games, total, from 2002 through 2009. USC still thrives in recruiting because, well, it's USC. But for the first time in more than a decade, UCLA starts this season as the city's more highly regarded team, the team with the greater buzz. That's unacceptable at USC. Of course, all this quickly flips back if USC wins 12 games and UCLA finishes 6-6, but the Trojans can't let things slip further in 2013. Not only did they lose to the Bruins on the field last year, but they also lost a couple head-to-head battles for recruits, something that almost never happened under Carroll. USC needs that swagger to come back in 2013.

5. Is this Lane Kiffin's last stand?

Unless the Trojans go 10-3 or better, it probably is. More than anything, USC's 2013 season will be a referendum on the coach. If Kiffin had Carroll's warm, golly-gee personality, fans and alumni would probably cut him a bit more slack. That's not entirely fair to Kiffin, who has had to steward USC through some hideous, crippling NCAA sanctions. But Kiffin hasn't done himself any favors with his often clumsy (at best) public statements and actions, and besides all that, there's no way a team as talented as USC should have finished 7-6 last year. So, despite Pat Haden's assurance otherwise, Kiffin is most certainly on the hot seat. He knows it. He doubled down this summer when he retained offensive play-calling duties and closed practices to the media. If Kiffin is going to get fired, he's going to go out being himself, not some watered-down version that the public desires. If USC wins big this year, Kiffin wins big. If USC doesn't win 10 games, it will probably be looking for a new head coach.

BIGGEST STRENGTHS

Defensive line

If nothing else, new USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast is certainly observant. He took a look at physical beasts such as Leonard Williams, George Uko, Morgan Breslin and Devon Kennard and basically said, "We should build a defense around these guys." So, he did. USC's "52" defensive scheme is expected to be versatile and aggressive. Look for Breslin and Kennard, as USC's new stand-up edge rushers, to have a particularly big impact on the games.

Safety

Somehow, this worked out. USC lost experienced seniors T.J. McDonald and Jawanza Starling after last season, but this year's group of safeties is extremely deep. It's no stretch to think that highly regarded freshmen Su'a Cravens and Leon McQuay III could be starters soon, but first they'll have to beat out players such as Dion Bailey (who moves from linebacker), Josh Shaw and Demetrius Wright. Bailey's physical play and Shaw's ball-hawking skills could make that a potent combination.

Tailback

In 2012, the Trojans were holding together this position with duct tape. Silas Redd and Curtis McNeal were both talented runners, but neither could stay healthy, nor could No. 3 tailback D.J. Morgan. McNeal and his never-stop motor are gone, but Redd and Morgan are back. They could get pushed by Tre Madden, who missed last season with a torn ACL but has impressed Coach Lane Kiffin. Incoming freshmen Justin Davis and Ty Isaac also have the talent to make early impacts.

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